How is rental gear sanitized?

[poifromthebag]

Is there a standard way rental gear (especially the regulator and octopus) sanitized?

(looking for experience of people working at dive shops with rental gear)

EDIT: I'm also wondering if due to covid shops are trying a little harder to clean stuff.

 

[Vicko]

Yup, you dunk in a communal bucket of once clean water.

 

[Rae HalfTheHill]

We have a giant tub of water with concentrated cleaning agent (Sani-Q) where rental regulators and masks get soaked after every use. During wetsuit season those are soaked last, for obvious reasons...

 

[PfcAJ]

Its not.

 

[Bigbella]

While we are not in the business of renting gear, we typically use Steramine or Virkon-S, periodically, to clean equipment, especially, after nastier assignments.

When I worked at a shop, as a kid, it was some concentrated over-the-counter, dishwashing detergent or a product like OdoBan that had been used . . .

 

[Ghost95]

How is rental gear what?

The salt or sun kills everything.

 

[CycleCat]

Last time we used rental regs we were directed to a tub of strong bleach water where we soaked the regs (attached to a tank) ourselves so we knew it had been done before we used them.

 

[Bigbella]

How is rental gear what?

The salt or sun kills everything.

From an earlier, related thread:

"Cultures taken from supposedly "disinfected" rental regulators in the past, have issued samples of various strains of E. coli; Clostridium; Salmonella; Bifidobacterium; Cryptosporidium; Staphylococcus; and the lovely Candida, the causative agent of genital yeast infections, and thrush.

"In terms of pollution studies, the presence of coliform bacteria and other enterics -- visible under conventional microscopy -- is a standard indicator for the concomitant presence of viruses. Just expect them to be there. To give you some illustration, we found fewer infectious agents on well-maintained toilet seats, than in or on rental gear . . ."

 

[jadairiii]

Other people's spit, unless its wet suits.......

 

[Ana]

Just reading the thread tittle I get gross mental images.

Didn't think I was a germaphobe but I guess this pandemic changed me.